The sparsely attended event at Bluffton High School on Tuesday evening dealt candidates questions about the ideal qualities of the next superintendent, giving the school board total budgetary control from County Council, weighing student performance in teacher evaluations and empowering the district’s educators.

Candidates agreed the perfect applicant to replace former Superintendent Valerie Truesdale has to demonstrate a track record of commitment to academic achievement and meeting expectations but differed somewhat in their emphasis.

Al Bischoff of District 8, which includes a chunk of northeast Bluffton on the approach to Hilton Head Island, said he wants a politically savvy executive keen on using technology to deliver instruction in new ways.

“Our superintendent needs to know how to run a business,” he said. “You need someone who knows how to work the system, the politics, and get the monies needed to run our district.”

Paul Roth of District 6, which includes Sun City with a segment of southern Okatie, also emphasized the candidate’s ability to integrate the latest technologies.

“I’m looking for an executive who knows more than I do or anyone in this state,” he said.

Candidates either outright opposed fiscal autonomy for the school board or recommended putting it to a county-wide vote, with District 8 candidates Elisabeth Riordin and Mary Cordray standing against it while District 6 candidate Bert Walker, District 9 candidate Laura Bush and Bischoff said they’d hand the matter to voters or at least consider it.

“I like the system of checks and balances,” Cordray said. “I’m not comfortable with multiple bodies being able to raise millage on their own.”

Cordray, who locked down an endorsement from former S.C. State Superintendent Barbara Nielsen, echoed other candidates in naming teacher compensation and classroom resources as funding priorities.

“What is going to touch a teacher or the classroom is my priority,” she said.

On the issue of tying student performance to teacher evaluations, most candidates expressed some skepticism, questioning fairness, the reliability of tests or how the system would play out practically.

Riordin endorsed tests as a gauge of progress but argued many questions remain unanswered.

“Knowing that students have actually learned something, measured by a test, is a pretty good way to evaluate people, but only if you can make it fair,” she said.

Walker said he’s not personally opposed to the idea, but he wants to know specifically how students would be measured and he’s concerned the move could set off infighting for the strongest students.

“I would want really well performing students, so I could see a competition developing,” he said.

The moderator last asked candidates how they would empower educators and create a culture of mutual respect.

Many said they’d fight for teachers, with Walker likening educators to “customers of the board.”

“A lot of people think teachers leave because of the salaries,” he said. “Most teachers leave because they’re not getting the support they need in the classroom.”

Evva Anderson, a write-in candidate from Bluffton’s District 7, argued the board can most help teachers by reducing burdensome paperwork and other responsibilities less directly tied to student learning.

“Teachers are often bogged down by things that are less important than connections with the students.”

Roth said the district needs to better define what constitutes improvement.

“You have to have a long-term program to build the system up in a systematic way so that it’s effective — so they can learn to read, to write, and they can do math,” he said.

Bischoff, who argues his background in human resources consulting gives him an edge with professional development and evaluation, called for crystal clear teacher expectations.

“I think we need to find ways to promote and impact and improve teacher skills, teacher capabilities,” he said. “I think we need to find a way to motivate teachers so they’ll feel like they want to improve their performance and improve their skills.”